Means for carrying ships&#39; launches.



C. L. GOUVRETTE, DECD. v.l o; ooUvnn'rTn, 11111111111111111011.v MEA/NSFOR OARRYING SHIPS LAUNCHES. Armowron 111.1111 1111.115, 1911.

Patented 1160.26, 1911.

SBHEETB-BBEET 1.

C. L. COUVRETTE, DECD.

v. c. ooUvnETTB, ADMINISTRATOR. MEANS FOR CARRYING SHIPS LAUNCHES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 15, 1911. 1,013,087.l Patented 131112111911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

lei; MHz-Ul 5.11/

TTURNEYS C. L. GOUV-RETTE, DEGD. v. c. ooUvnBT'rn, A-MINIsTBATon. M'EANSFOR CARRYING SHIPS' LAUNCHES.

1,013,087' APPLIOATION FILED JULY 16, 1911. Patented De 26,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UMTED sTATEs ,PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES LOUIS COUITRE'JJTE, DECEASED, LATE 0F GOLDENDALE, WASHINGTON, BYVICTOR CELESTIN E COUVRETTE, ADMINISTRATOR, 0F SOUTH BEND, WASHINGTON.

MEANS FOR CARRYING SHIPS LAUNCHES.

Specication' (if Letters Patent.

l Patenteanec. 2c, 1911.

vApplication 1e`d July 15, 1911. Serial No. 638,665.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, VICTOR C. CoUvRETTE, a citizen ofthe United States,-and'a resident of South Bend, in the countyof Pacific land StateofWashington, administrator of the estate of CHARLES LOUIS CoUvRETTn,de-

ceased, late a citizen of the-United States and late a resident ofGoldendale, in theinvention.

The object ofthe invention is to provide means for carrying shipslaunches, particularly launches to be used in emergencies,

such as loss of the vessel. n l

Another object of the invention is to so arrange the means for carryingthe launch that the launch may be quickly and safely put into the waterat any time and under any conditions. This endis attained byconstructing in the ship a water-tight compartment, which runsthwartwise from side to side, and which is provided at each end with.doors forming the outer walls of the ship,

which doors may be closed and hermetically seal the compartment when thelaunch is not in use, and which upon lopening the doors will permit thewater to flow into the compartment so that the launch may then bewater-borne therein and may bevoated out of the compartment into thesea. This permits the employment of a powerful launch or motor drivenboat of large size, and to handle the same expeditiously and easily.

The invention involves various other features of major or minorimportance, all of which will be -fully set forth hereinafter andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings which illustrate asan example.A

the preferred embodiment of the inventlon, in which drawings*n Figure 1is' a partlalside view of a `ship lto which the invention is applied;Fig. 2 is tight compartment; Fig. 5vis a detail view ofone ofthe braceswhich are employed for said doors; Fig. 6 is a detail .section of thejack by means of which thelaunch. is held steadily in its compartment;and Fig. 7 is a detail section showing the gear for operating the lowersections of the doors of thevcompartments. 4

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the vessel is provided with a 7compartment 10which eX- tends transversely across the vessel from side to side. Thiscompartment is 'watertight,and is provided 'with a pipe 11 for fillingit, and a pip'e 12 by which the water may be withdrawn. This pipe 12passes to any convenient point`for the disposition of the water, whichmay be either a pump for expelling the water from the bilge of thevessel or a ballast tank in the bottom ofthe vessel. These pipes 11 and12 are controlled by gates 1li operated by screws 15,A the upper ends ofwhich are provided with wheels 16 facilitating the operation of thescrews.

The compartment 10 is entirely watertight 1n its construction,- and ateach end it is provided -with an`upper sliding door section 1f? and alower hinged door section 18. These Vdoor sections match to form ahermetic closure for the endsA of -the compartment. The lower section 18of each door is hinged at its bottom, as indicated at 19, and providedwith chains 20 for limiting the downward or opening movement of the doorsection. For returning the door section to closed position curved racks21 are hinged to the door section, and their inner ends run throughguides 22. With these 24 'adapted to be operated by pawls 25 and levers26. The door sections 18 areI adapte -to be started out of the easementby means of screws 27,-which operate in nuts 28 held stationary, asshown ybest in Fig. 7 and for operating the screws ratchets 29 areprovided, with which ratchets pawls 30 and levers 31 co-act. In orderto' open the door sections 18, therefore, the screws 27 should beoperated until they engage the door sections and pushA them away fromthe casements, whereupon the door sections will fall to horizontalposition and will then be checked by the chains 20. The door sec'- tions18 are returned by operating the gear 23 on the rack 21. y

The upper door sections 17 match against the lower door sections 18 andslide in suitable. guides constructed in the hull of the piston rods 32,the pistons (see the broken lines in Fig. 4) 33 of which operate incylinders 34 secured in the vessel. To these cylinders steam-pipes 35lead, so that steam may be applied at the desired moment to raise thedoor sections, as shown at the left-hand side of Fig. 2. 'For bracingthe structure when the door sections 18 are closed, hinged braces 36(see Figs. 4 and 5) are provided.` These braces are adapted to swingdown against the inner sides of the door sections and the adjoiningedges of the walls of the ship, as shown in Fig. 4, and when the doorsof the waterftight compartment are opened -the braces are lifted up intothe position shown in Fig. 2,by means of a weight 37 connected to thebraces by cords 38. It is understood that the braces 36 are hinged or`pivoted at their ends on suitable supports within the ship as indicatedin Fig. 3, so that the braces can be swung u into inactive position asshown to the le t in Fig. 2, or downward into active positionas'indicated tothe right of Fig. 2' and in Figs. 3 and 4 to brace thestructure when the door sections 18are closed.

YThe launch is represented at 39 in the drawings. This launch should beas large as the size of the compartment or other considerations willadmit, and constructed so that it may be used in rough weather. Thelaunch is provided with acks, shown in Figs. 2 and 6, for engaging itsgunwales to steady the launch. Said jacks comprise (see Fig. 6)

slides 40, operating in guides 41 and actuated by screws 42 havingwheels 43 at their upper ends for manipulating them. A hinged stair 44is provided to permit convenient entrance into the compartment, and thisis connected with aA tackle 45, enabling it to be raised at will.

In the use of the invention, supposing-it is desired to sendthe launchout from the vessel, steam should be admitted to the cylinders 34 at theside from which it is (lesired to send out the launch, thus raising thedoor section 17 at said side.y The screw 27 at saidl side should thenbeoperated'to start the dropping movement of the door section 18, saidmovement being checked by the chains 20. Previously, water should havebeen admitted to the compartment through the pipe 11, thus floatingl thelaunch, and as the dooris opened the-water will instantly findy'itsletel in the compartment. Steam or other motive power being readyto'be instantly applied, the launchmay then 'be taken by 'its own powerout `ofthe compart-A ment into the open sea. After the launch is sentfrom the vessel, the door sections may be again closed and the waterpumped out of the compartment, if desired, or the doors may be keptopened. until the launch returns.` It will be observed that ,thisinvention avoids the` necessity of lifting the launch bydavits or othertackle, and it permits the employment of a far more powerful the'vesselmay be detached and ire started in the furnace ofthe launch boilers, Ifan engine of the internal combustion or exllaunch than any heretoforecarried by marine vessels by means of which launch perplosive type isemployed the necessary fuel should be kept at all times in the launch.

By placing the water-tight compartment thwart ship, a minimum of room isrequired for the launch, since the said launch may be passed directlythrough the side ofthe ship and at a right angle thereto, which wouldnot be the case were'the compartment arranged longitudinally. By thisconstruction also more boats can be accommodatedthan when the chambersare placed lengthwise of the vessel, and each boat can be launchedindependently of the other, since they may be placed side by sideand`with an opening directly in front or behind. Although reference isparticularly mad to launches, it is expressly understood that othermarine vessels, such as submarines,l

may be carried by ship in the manner stated.

Having thus described the invention theV following is claimed as new anddesired to be secured by Letters P atent- 1. A'marine vessel having awater-tight compartment therein, a `hingeddoor and a sliding door forclosing the '-compartment,

said door being hinged to open downward,

a screw for starting the hinged door, chains for limiting the downwardmovement of the door, and means for closing the door comf prising acurved rack hinged thereto and guides for therack, a pinion engagingtherack, a ratchet wheel rigid withthe pinion,` a lever lprovided with apawl for manipulating the ratchenwheel, means for lifting the slidingdoor comprising cylinders within the vessel, pistons `within ytheYcylinders having rods connecting Awith the lsliding door, andbraceswithin the vesselfor bracing the doors, said -braces comprising-U-` shaped members having their body portions 2.4 A marine vesselhaving .awater-tight compartmentthei'ein, a hinged door and aengagingthe doors, and their arms pivotedl v wlthinthe vessel,and'meansfor swinging l the braces on their pivotal connection.

sliding door for closing the compartment, said hinged door being hingedto open downward, a screw for starting the door, chains for limiting thedownward movement of the door, means for closing the door, means forlifting the sliding door comprising cylinders within the vessel, pistonswithin the cylinders and having rods connected with the door, and braceswithin the vessel for bracing the doors, said braces comprisingpivotally mounted U-shaped members having their body portions engagingthe doors. I

3. A marine vessel having a water-tight compartment therein, a hingeddoor and a sliding door for closing the compartment, said hinged doorbeing hinged to open braces within the vessel for bracing the doors,comprising pivotally mounted U- shaped members whose body portionsengage the doors.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

VINCENT SANPHY.

